Self-righting roller-bearing.



O. F. ZAHN.

SELF RIGHTING ROLLER BEflRING. APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 18, 1908.

91 51,529., 1 Paented Mam. 16, 1909'.

'''' Y Aj rollers, lock rollers, etc.,

ers, which thev are intended thrust devicesl can be' removed andinserteo bodily into thebearing .as ja "UNITED STATES OlBWALD F. ZAHN, OF LOS NGELES, CALlFORNIA.

.flSSl-GNOR TO ZAHN SELF RlGllTlll'G CALIFORNIA.

Specification of Lettere Patent.

SELF-RIGHTING ROLLER-HEARING.

Patented March 13,

Application filed August 18. 1903. Serial No. 1.9191515.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OsWALD ll". ZAHN', a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Los Angeles, in the count of Los 5 Angeles and State of California. ave invented a new and useful Self-Righting Roller-Bearing, specification.

From the past experiences of the roller 10 .bearing art, it has been found thatthe greatest imperfection in the bearings and espe'- z cially Where rollers take end thrusts and are very long, that they will be disalined or skewed. Heretofore cage means, spacing:I have been resorted to with the view of overcoming this didi culty. These soon become worthless alter beingr in use, for whereas such means can only stand a strain of a few pounds, the rollto guide, may carry loads of several tous. I have not only discovered how to`avoid the cause of this difficulty but iu addition thereto have found that my partieular construction has many 25 other advantages.

l ,One object of my invention is to provide a roller bea-rin wherein the same rollers that take the radiastrain of the bearing also take the lateral strains or end vthrusts of both 36 bearing members.

A. further object of the invention is to provide a roller bearing of this character' wherein all the means for maintaining correct Vposition of therollers relatively to the bearfmgare provided at a single end of the rollers and bearing members.

j j Another object of the invention is. to provide a bearing of this character wherein the' and endrollers with V:their self -.rightin q odily .from

self-contained unit.

4Another object of the invention is to providef improved `means for self-righting orv 'maintain1ng a'lineinentcf the rollers 1n aA bearing during severe and' continual Aend thrust ressure.

Anet er object to providea rolle'r bear?" ing of this ,character in'whicli it is possible 501:0 install a greater number of rollers than lheretofore has been Ipossible vvithout resorting to mechanfcaleirpedients such as s litting the'guide rings or the bearing mem ers or cutting outnotches in the members, or

of which the following is a l makingthe rollers or members into segni@ `in order to allow of the insertion ol a i'uli set of rollers.

vAnother object is to construct such a bearing wherein the rollers will not wear the caff cna bias and wherein the rollers will keep their ali'nement after longr use when cage or other spacing means becomes worn and wabbly.

Another object is to cheapen the cost ci production. Another object is to' provide a bearing this nature wherein no sleeve or bushing,- required and il Such are used. the sleeveneed not be removed when Wheel and rollers-are Withdrawn from the axle oi a vehicle.

Other objects of the invention will appear in and from the specification and claims.

Patent C-iiice on August 27 1906. Cross rei'u erence is also made to my applications copending herewith and filed respectively March 20, 1907, Serial No. 363,519; October 7, 1907, Serial No. 396,279; July e, weas@- rial No. 442,194; Jul'yr22, 1908, Serial-No. 444,831. Subsequently to the filing ofniy said application Serial No. 332,294, l made subject matter thereof, which applications were liled in the respective countrles as ich lows: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, September 19, l1906, Serial No. 20,833, for which Letters Ratent 'of' said United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ire land, No. 20,833, of 1906, have been granted and issued; Em ire of Germany, September 27,`1906, for which Letters Patent of `said 1906, for; which Letters Patent; lilo. 0,190, have been granted and issued; Belgium, liep# tember 21.1906, for which Letters Y Patent No. 195,045. have been granted anlissued, ,Republic of France, September 21, 1906, l'or which Patent No. 370, 821, has been issued; Commonwealth of Australia, May 23, 1907, for which Letters Patent No.3,739 have been granted and issued; and Em'pire o@ Japan, uly 15, 1907,- for which Leiters Patent No. 14,691, have been granted and issued.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the Pinvention:

Cross reference is made to my application Serial No. 332,294, 'filed in the United States Figure 1 is. a longitudinal section ofi the.

application for certain foreign patents on the country No. 201,924., have been granted and issued; Republic of Mexico, October 20,..

lill@ roller bearing as applied to a vehicle wheel. l Fig. 2 is an end view partly in section of the self-contained set oll rollers and retaining means therefor. Fig. 3 is a sideelevation of the same. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the combined spacing and retaining means. Fi 5 is a side elevation of one of the bearing ro ers. Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic development of ortions of the outer and innerbearing members and the rollers running thereon, showing principle of rectification. Fig. 7 isa partial longitudinal section of the bearing embodying certain features of the invention. Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section of another. bearing embodylng certain features of the invention. Fig. 9 is aitransverse section on the line :v9- oi' the bearing roller set of Fig. 8.

Referring to Figs.. 1 to 5, the bearing comrises an inner bearing member 1 shown as a ixed axle member, and an outer bearing member 2 shown as a box or casing member of a wheel, it being understood that either the inner or outer member may be fixed or rotative, the bearing being generally applicable where there are two relatively movable 'bearing members. Between the inner and outer bearing members' run the rollers 3 l" which are adapted to engage with the. said thrusts of both beari bearing membershand are provided with spacin and retaining members holding the said ro 1ers in a self-contained set and are further provided with means for taking end members, and for maintaining correct position of the rollers in` the bearing.-

The end thrust means comprise inner and outer abutment rings orV lang'es 4 and 5, which have tneir opposlte edges extending into an annular groove or reduced portion 6 in each roller at a single end thereof leaving the other end of the roller smooth; or, in

other words, without an annular groove or reduced portion 6 for a similar purpose. This annular reduced portion being at or near the same end, for example, the outer end, in all of the rollers.'

Rings 4 and 5 do not touch the bottom-of the grooves 6 but their abutment faces 7 may be beveled so that lateral engagement, with the walls or shoulders S of the grooves, is prevented except at the peripheries oi the rollers. Said walls ot' the grooves 6 may also be beveled at a steeper angle than the said faces 7. At the outer endof the axle or bearing the inner ring 4 is clamped between the shoulder 9 of the inner bearing 1 and a nut 10 screwingon the threaded outer end portion 11 of said inner bearing member. The outer end-thrust ring 5 is clamped between the outer end of the outer bearingr member 2 and a shoulder 12 o the cap 13 which screws onto the threaded portion 14 of theouter bearing member. Thus the inner and outer. rings 4 and beeome parts of the bearing members 1 and 2 when the bearing is assembled and in operation. 'Said cap 13 may also have a fiange 15 to engage with the hub member 16.

The spacin and retaining means' may consist of a plura ity vof longitudinal members or strips A17 adapted to extend longitudinally between 'and alternately with the rollers and connected at their` ends to rings 18, so asto form a cage which rotates with and retains and spaces the rollers. Each lon itudinal member 17 has lateral iianges 20 a apted to engage with thebearing rollers 3 to retain 'said rollers.

The rings 18 have notches 21 in their inner and outer edges and. also have holes 23. The notches 21 receive .the tongues22 at the inner -end of the spacing members 17 and the holes 23 receive the tongues 24 at the outer end of the said members. These tongues 22 and 24 are bent over 4or inclined on the rings after insertion therethrough. The two rings 18 are shown as of identical construction, so that a single, die serves for both rings. l f

To assemble, the ring 4 is held at a certain height above a given plane; the rollers are then assembled around-this so that the rin enters their grooves 6 and so that the set '0 y rollers are spread at the bottoni. The set now appears as cone shaped with the ring 4 inside aty the apex. -Ring 5 is now. placed over the top. The bottom' ends are then drawn in to their normal position and the spacing means assembled. It is with 'this construction and method that a reaternumber of rollers may be assemb ed, without resorting to unmechanical expediente than has heretofore been possible for this class of bearings.

The rollers.3 with the inner and outer endthrust rings 4, 5, longitudinal spacing and retaining means 17, and their connecting rings- 18, constitutes a selfcontained set whic can be removed bodily from the bearing by and sim ly o ening one end of the bea iiis set out from between tliiiginner4 pul ing t and outer bearing members. This set, when so removed, isshown in 3.' By .this

construction the rollers can be ins acted' or re laced with a minimum of'troub e and no.

a justment of extra or additional parts is re uired.

he single` pair of rings- 4 and 5 serves to take all end thrusts or lateral pressure in both directions by contacting in the walls ofthe roller grooves 6. The contact being at the rolling diameter of the rollers 3, as shown, the end thrust friction is reduced to a minimum. There are at least two ways in which these same abutment rin 4y and 5 preserve alinement of the'rollers w 'ch may be explained with reference to Fig. 6. If We 'assume that the outer bearing member 2 is' movin in the direction of the arrow andthe inner earing member 1 isstationary, and that the abutnilent flanges 4 and 5 are rigld same time, the outer i the right, as indicated in the case of the lower roller, and the outer face of the outer end thrust abutment 5 will en ag theouter wall 8 of the groove 6 in the ro ler, for example, at point b. The endaise pressure of the abutment flanges 4 and 5 thus produces a longitudinal spreading action, -pulling the rollers as it were, into a position in which they willpresent maximum extension in the line of this action, thus bringing them into alinement with the bearing.

The frictional engagement of the roller, at a, with the stationary abutment flange tends to retard this end of the' roller, but the' frictional engagement ofthe moving abut ment flangia 5, with the roller, at b, tends to advance t e same endof the roller, thus the retarding and Vadvancing Vtendencies being at one end vof'the rollers, one'counteracts the other during `severe end thrusts, lhowever the advancing effect slightly preponderates and especially sowhen the rollers are "not in alinement, on account of the greater leverage of the point of'application, with res ect to the roller as 'a Whole, so that the resu t'isto advance the lretarded end, and to set the roller right in the bearing. This effect co'- o crates with 'the direct spreading action a ove described.

When the rollers are in alinement they cannot be disalined by severe end thrusts for reason of the endwise spreading'eiect being at asingle end of the rollers as above described, so that the rollers do not depend on the cage for preserving the aline-ment, and

, Yany looseness or wear of the cage will not interfere with the operation, and a very light andviiexible cage and extremely long rollers can be utilized-without danger ofthe bearing becoming deranged.

Fig. 7, -shows'an vapplication of the invention where inner bearmr member 37 rotates and outer bearing member 25 is stationary. In this form of tlhe invention vthe rollers 26 haye 'a groove 27-nearone end and which engages lthe outer ring 28 and an inner ring 29 which may be of Spun material. The outer ring 28 is'clamped between the cap piece 30 and the outer bearing member 2'5, and the inner ring V29 is received on the inner bearing Vmember 37. Retaining rings, 32, which maymalso serve as'spacers, are connected-to opposite ends of the rollers, each ers.

roller having a pin 31 at each end which passes through and is journaled on the ring at that end. 'ihc groove 27 is shown asprovided .with considerable clearance and the rings 28 and 29 are off-set so that ring 2S engages only with the inner wall of lthe groove and ring 29 engages only with th'e outer wall. The bearing is thus adapted to take. end-thrusts in on v one direction, it

being understood that similar or equivalent means may be elsewhere provided for taking Aend thrusts inthe opposite direction, for example, at the other end of the bearing member 37.

Figs. 8 and 9 illustrate another form of the 'invention wherein the rollers fc rm a self-contained set, but the end-thrust devices are The rollers 33 -run bepartly separate. l tween the inner bearing member 34 and the outer bearing member 35, and are provided Vwith rooves 36 near one end, only one wall,

name ythe outer wall, of these' grooves being used for engagement with the inner andouter end-thrust rings 38 and 39. The inner cndthrust ring 38 is secured on a screw threaded portion 40 of the inne-r bearing member, and the outer ring 39 is screwed within internal screw threaded portion 41 of the end member 42 screwing on the outer bearing mem ber 35. Each roller 33 has also an enlarged outer end face 44 adapted to engage with end shoulders'45 on the sleeve 46 screwing on a portion 4() of the inner bearing member, and with a shoulder 47 on the end member 42 of the outer bearing member. lIn this` form of the invention spacing rollers 48 are provided alternating with the other rollers, and retained by lloating rings 50 which run in annular 4 g'rooves 51 in the s acing rollers but which do not take any en ,thrust of either bearingmember. The rings 50 `at one end are beyond therollers 33, and at the otherend extend in grooves 53 o f these same r'oll- In this embodiment of Vthe invention the'spacing rollers 48 are used in place of a cage and form a non-rigid self-contained set of rollers which can bc'rcmoved bodily from 4tions or abutments on the inner and outer bearing members respectively, are located at the same end and not only guide the rollers into absolute alinernent, but also take the end thrusts of the .bearing members.

Fig. 7 and the matter relating thereto has been embodied in this application b transfer from my ap lication Serial umber 396,279,led Octo er 7, 1907, and Fig. 8 has 'lar groove near one end the otherend of the l the same plane and having their onposite' been transferred from my application Serial* Number 331294 iiledAugust 27, 1906.

Having thus described my invention the following what ll claim as new therein andy desire to secure b Letters Patent:

l. it. set of ro 1ers, for a roller bearing, moans at a single end of the rollers for taking end thrust oi said bearing in both directions and holding the set of rollers in o erative position for-appiication to and wit dravval from one end oi the bearing, the other end of the rollers being smooth.

2. The combination of a set of rollers for a roller bearing; each roller having an annuroller being smooth, and an inner abutment ring, and an outer abutment ring having their o' posits edges' entering the grooves of said rollers.

3. The combination of a set of rollers for roller bearing, eaoh roller having an annular groove near one end the other end of the roller being smooth, and an inner abutment ring, and an outer abutment ring, located lin edges entering the grooves of said ro lers. 4. The combination of a set of rollers for a roller bearing each roller having an annular groove near one end the other end.' of the roller being smooth, an inner abutment ring' and an outer abutment ring located in the same plane and having their opposite edges entering 'the grooves of said rollers, and spacing and retaining means and connecting mugs.

5. A cylindrioall arranged series of cylindrical rbliers, an Ameans iorholding them in a .self-contained set: said rollers' being provided With annular grooves, said annular grooves being located bevond the middle and near one end oi said rollers the other end ofy the rollers being smooth, and inner and outer abutment rings entering said grooves at a single end of said set. 6. A roller bearing comprisin innerland outer bearing members and rol ers located. between said bearing members, self righting and thrust bearing means at a single end ol said rollers and bearin members whereby said means guide said ro 1ers and take .all end thrusts of said rollers and bearing members at the saine single end of said bearing members. y

outsrfbearing members, and rol ers located.

sie,

rollers havin -.bers havin j'engage with v'thrust of a bearing meinber.

' 4 11. A roller bearing comprising,innerv and "day of Augufzt` 1908.

7. i roller bearing comprisin inner and l dit? between said bearing members and havin annular grooves at one end the other ends o the rollers being smooth and abutment rings at the ing said annular grooves of said rollers.

8. A roller bearing compris'l v.jilxnerand outer bearin members, rollers between said earing members' `iiuvllavin annular grooves located atendjbeyon the outer end of the bearing members the other ends of the rollers being smooth,ran inner abutment ri a nut semiring'the inner .abutment ring to t e inner bearmg'member, an outer abutment ring, and a cap securing the outer abutment ring to the outer bearing member. l 9. A roller bearing having inner and outer bearing members and rollers located between said bearing members, said rollers andl said bearing members havin interengaging abutments and shoulders, al at a single end of said rollers and bearing members; whereby all end thrusts of said rollers and beari'n members are taken up at a single end of sai bearm members.

ooved end of saiclhrollers which are l adapte to self right the sai rollers .by enter- Bib 10.` roller bearing comprisin dinner and between said bearing members; each of said an annular groove near a single end so as to orm a shoulder the opposite end vouter bearing members and rol er; located,

of the rollers being smooth, the bearing memabutments adapted to laterally said shoulders to take the end outer cylindrical Y beari members and cylindrical rollers located between said bearing members; each of said' rollers having an vamn'ilar roove, lsaid grooves being located beyond t e middle of said rollers and near an end thereof thev op osite ends ofthe rollers be' smooth Asal bea" members eachl mg y having'an abutment ring at, one end of said bearing members, said rin s being adapted to take end thrusts of bot of said bearing members by entering said grooves; and spacing means for said rollers.

In testimon'gr whereof, I have hereunto set my handat'Los Angeles, California, this 10thl OSWALD F. ZAHN. r in presence of- FREDERICK S. LYON ARTHUR P.. KNIGHT.'

lotA 

